


Believe Me

by PerfectWinona



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: David Harbour - Freeform, F/M, winona ryder - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-02-22 02:39:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13157493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerfectWinona/pseuds/PerfectWinona
Summary: "I know what you're saying Hop. I swear to you, I know what I saw. And I'm not crazy...I need you to believe me"Set after season 2. Joyce has to relearn how to deal with her family issues after their recent misfortunes. Hopper is trying to become more accustomed to being a dad so Jane can finally have a family.





	1. A Helping Hand

"I need to see Hopper" Joyce demanded.

"I'm sorry Mrs Byers but he's not here yet, you'll just have to wait." Joyce's brows furrowed at the name she had now grown to hate...Byers, just a reminder of her awful decisions. She was ripped from her thoughts when the front door slammed open.

"Good morning everybody! Flo, have you got the coffee going yet? And did anyone get my dough-" he stopped as soon as he saw the woman stood in front of him. "Joyce? What are you doing here?"

"I have a problem, Hop"

He proceeded to walk to his office, Joyce tailing behind him. Once she entered his office she shut the door behind herself.

"Lonnie's back," the words lingered in the air, each one of them not knowing how to continue.

All the chief could manage was a "why?"

"I don't know Hop! He just turned up out of the blue and is refusing to leave without Will, I tried to force him out so he would be gone before Will got back, but he just kept retaliating. I just sent Will to the Wheelers with Jonathan, what was I supposed to do?! Tell me what to do Hop, I can't deal with this again."

Tears had now started cascading down her cheeks. Joyce had grown stronger over the last two years but it also seemed that Lonnie had grown more resilient. This time when she screamed and pushed him he didn't cower away, he stood his ground. Joyce may have lacked in height but she made up for it in feistiness and determination. This time Lonnie was just prepared.

The chiefs face tensed in anger but it softened as soon as he saw the fragile woman sat in front of him again. "Joyce, everything is going to be alright. I'll go sort this out and I'll make sure he doesn't bother you anymore..," the chief had grown accustomed to having to sugar-coat everything due to Jane's sudden outbursts "...you stay here. I don't want you getting hu-"

"-No Hop, I'm coming with you..." She interjected "...I want to see that son of a bitch run."

Hopper was surprised by her new demeanour, he sure did like it though. It reminded him of how far Joyce had come out of her shell since high school. "Alright then, let's get moving" he replied.

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

The journey back to the Byers household was quiet. It was a combination of an awkward and peaceful quietness. Now that the pair saw each other multiple times almost every single day there wasn't much left to talk about. Hopper was staying quiet to allow Joyce to think. He knew that she liked to think through her conversations beforehand so her social anxiety would settle slightly. And Joyce was too busy playing through an argument in her head until she knew what to say.

"How's Jane doing?" inquired Joyce, breaking the silence.

"She's doing great actually. She's a very keen learner, she'll surpass the boys at this rate. I'm proud of her. I don't know where she gets it from, it's definitely not from me" Hopper joked. Joyce chuckled in response. "She asked to see you before I left, today."

"Why does she want to see me? Is it a woman'sproblem Hop?" Joyce returned now slightly more concerned. She was happy to help but she had thought she had dodged a bullet with her two boys, she understood the complete awkwardness of the subject for a child.

"Oh god no, Joyce. Not yet, she's still a child. But I'll be sure to call you when it does...happen. Anyway, what I was going to say was she wants to learn how to sew. I would teach her myself but you know that needles and I don't go together" he laughed.

"Oh Hop, I would love to teach her. I'm just not that good, that's all" she mumbled.

"Nonsense, stop being so modest. You will make my daughter the best seamstress by passing on your beautiful wisdom" stated the chief.

Joyce didn't know how to respond, instead she fiddled with her hands and blushed slightly, she knew that sometimes she just needed to take the compliment even if it wasn't entirely true.

Quite quickly they found themselves pulling up to the house.

"Joyce, are you sure you want to do this?"

"God yes."

And with that, the pair exited the Blazer and cautiously approached the house.


	2. So Close

Hopper nudged the already open door. He was expecting for Lonnie to retaliate straight away but instead, he was sprawled across the sofa as if he was in his own home. As Hopper approached the despicable man he started to stir. Joyce clung to the door, not wanting to get involved but also wanting to see Hop beat the shit out of him. Unknowingly, she had grown quite nervous, she hated the person she had become with Lonnie, and having him around brought out the worst in that. She just wanted him gone.

Lonnie's hand slipped off the sofa letting the bottle of beer in it smash onto the floor. The noise startled him and drove him upwards from where he had just been lying. He appeared to be woozy and exceptionally drunk.

"What are you doing here?" Lonnie spat at Hop. The chief just stood his ground. Lonnie then spotted Joyce lurking at the door. "Can't handle me yourself Joycie..." she cringed at the condescending name "...had to call in your boyfriend?" Joyce's eyes widened at the statement but nevertheless, she didn't protest his words. 

"Hey!" Hopper shouted, "don't talk to her like that."

"And what are you gonna do about it mister...police...chief?" on each word Lonnie took a step closer eventually ending up pointing and prodding into Hopper's slight protruding stomach. 

"Don't touch me," Hopper growled, still standing his ground. Lonnie's eyes blazed with hatred as he looked upward to the slightly taller man.

Suddenly, but predictably, Lonnie swung back to punch the man. Hopper may have been quite large but he had good reflexes, so he swiftly missed the hit.

The chief had become less of a fighter since caring for Jane. He always really was a lover but his circumstances never left it as an option. Lonnie swung at him just again, this time he managed to just catch the side of Hopper's head, sending him crashing down to the floor. An audible cry arose from the doorway, it was loud enough to divert Lonnie's attention. Hopper clung to the side of his face in the vain hope of easing the pain slightly.

Lonnie started stumbling his way over to Joyce. She tried to retaliate by shutting the door on him but he was able to snake his arm through the small gap just in enough time to grab her. He roughly pulled her back into the house. Joyce cried out in pain, she thought her years of endless abuse were finally over. She kicked and pushed against the man but it was no use, each time his grip tightened even more around her small wrists.

Lonnie laughed as she squirmed around. Hopper had started to push himself upwards from the floor so his eyes could finally refocus. When he saw Joyce aimlessly struggling against Lonnie a fire struck up in him.

"Get off of her" he roared. Hopper had now started charging at Lonnie in the vain hope that he would release Joyce from his grip. But it was no hope. Lonnie continued to torture and tantalise the woman. She was growing weaker with each attempted punch, she had endured so much already and was regularly left fatigued from a lack of sleep due to Will's nightmares. Hopper tried to lessen the grip the other man had on her, but Lonnie held on tight, completely unaware of what Hopper was trying to do. In a brief movement, Hopper managed to snatch her away as if she were a toy his underserving sibling had stolen. He tried to place Joyce softly on the sofa so she would be out of the reach of Lonnie but it was more of a throw.

Lonnie had come charging at him once again, somehow drunker now then he was earlier. Hopper with all his mass turned his body sharply swinging his arm around in the process knocking Lonnie square in the head. Lonnie fell to the floor semi-unconscious. He scrambled to get back up but fell back down in the process. Hopper forcefully picked up one of his arms and threw him in the direction of the door. 

"Get out! And never think for even a second that you are wanted here, because you're not and you never will be!" he cried as the other man stumbled out of the house hopefully this time for good. 

The sound of an engine started up and quickly disappeared. He was gone.

Instead of nursing his now bleeding head he made his way over to Joyce who was curled up into a ball and shaking on the sofa. Hopper sat down next to her and placed his arm around her so she was leant against his much larger body.

"Thank you, Hop," she choked out "I don't know what I would have done without your help."

"Don't worry about it Joyce, all that matters is that you and the boys are safe-"

"Oh! The boys! There still at the Wheeler's, it's late I should tell them to get home." Joyce erupted from where she sat now completely refreshed as if nothing had happened. She made her way to the phone and hesitantly picked it up. Jonathan took his car to the Wheelers so he was able to bring himself and Will home. 

When Joyce walked back into the lounge she now noticed the blood running down the side of his face. She hastily ran to the kitchen and frantically searched for a tea cloth. The commotion had intrigued Hopper and drove him from his seat to see what it was actually about. Joyce finally found a cloth and wet it.  She then turned around to find Hopper in front of her.

She attempted to reach up but her arms were too short. Hopper found it quite amusing and a smile crept onto his lips. He bent down slightly so Joyce could clean away the blood.

His smile vanished when he noticed the raw bruises on Joyce's wrists. He took both of her hands and examined the bruises to Joyce's confusion.

"I'm so sorry Joyce" he mumbled.

"Don't be, there's nothing more you could have done," she whispered back.

There was no need for them to be quiet but it felt fitting in the moment. Joyce had now finished cleaning Hopper's face so she placed the cloth back on the counter behind her. 

For some reason, their other hands had stayed interlinked. Joyce hadn't even realised until Hopper lightly tugged on her arm causing her to spin around to face him.

"Thank you, Joyce," he simply said. The proximity between them seemed to close naturally and Joyce started to subconsciously tilt her head.

She started leaning upwards but then the door burst open.

The sudden noise drove the two of them apart leaving both of them slightly flustered.

"Hi, Mum!" Will beamed as he waltzed into the kitchen, smile spread across his face. It must have been a good campaign. Jonathan tailed behind flashing a quick smile at his mother as he made his way to his bedroom as per usual.

"I...uh, better get going" Hopper announced as he picked up his hat from the floor and graciously placed it on his head.

Joyce wanted him to stay but she knew he had a home to get to as well.

"Night Hop. Have a good one" she replied without making any eye contact.

Hopper bowed his head in response and left the house closing the door behind him, heading out into the chilly air.


	3. Contemplation

When Hopper arrived home Jane was already tucked into her bed asleep. He was happy because she was happy, but he still couldn't shake the thoughts of what had happened or had almost happened with Joyce. From the moment he had left the Byers household he kept pinching himself the entire way home just to make sure that it wasn't another one of his twisted dreams he still didn't fully understand. 

He poured himself a glass of water instead of opting for the usual bottle of beer. He needed to think and to do that he needed a clear head. Hopper plonked himself down on the tatty sofa and slowly but frequently took sips from the glass. 

Joyce and Hopper had always been friends. When they were teenagers they had been slightly more than that for a brief moment, but afterwards they went back to being friends and remained just that until Hopper left for the big city. Hopper always regretted leaving Joyce behind in Hawkins but it was just as much her decision to stay as it was his to go. 

When Hopper had returned grief-stricken and heartbroken the only person he thought he could turn to was Joyce. But when he found out about Lonnie leaving her alone to cope with two boys her problems seemed to outway his. So he left her alone. He regretted that now. At the time he thought he would be a burden and only inhibit her from caring for her family but now he realised he should have helped. After saving Will and then closing the gate he frequently stopped by to check up on him. And since he had started doing that he noticed that Joyce seemed less stressed and happier in general. If only he had talked to her when he got back.

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

After Hopper had left, Joyce finally let herself realise how exhausted she truly was. Jonathan was doing whatever he did in his room and Will was also incredibly tired. Will had quickly left his enthusiasm behind him once he had taken just a brief moment to splurge on his bed. Joyce cleared away the few things scattered around the kitchen and then carried herself to her bedroom. 

By the time her head had managed to hit her pillow, her fatigue had already washed away. It was just typical. She rolled over onto her back and stared blankly at the low deteriorating ceiling. She loudly sighed knowing it was going to be a long night. 

After a while the ceiling got boring and instead, she directed her attention to her slightly ajar curtains. The curtains themselves no longer had a purpose due to the amount of disrepair they were in but she still focused on the thick slather of light that lay on her bed sheets. She slowly moved her legs so the sheets were driven upwards and downwards, causing the light to move with it. She smiled at the simplicity of it. However, she quickly got bored and her gaze returned to the same spot on the ceiling. 

Most nights were like this and she knew that this was the reason why she was exhausted all the time. She knew that she needed to be up in six hours for a shift, and that she desperately needed the opportunity to just rest for a day, but she knew it was out of the picture. Although she had managed to dodge Will's hospital bills there were still outstanding bills on the house, at the store, with the electricity and heating company so she continued to send her life further into disrepair just to keep her boys afloat. Maybe she could ask Karen for help, she had offered many a time. Ted was quite handy so maybe he could repair her broken sink and maybe put the living room curtain rod back up. But he was a busy man and Karen was a busy woman, she didn't want to intrude.

"What about Hopper?" a voice in the back of her head suggested, "he would be happy to help." But Hopper was also very busy, he now had a daughter to care for, a job to be at. He was also too busy. "Not too busy to constantly visit" the voice reminded her.

It was true. Hop was a busy man but still, he made time to check in on her and more importantly the boys. He helped Jonathan with his college applications and listened to Will even if he didn't understand what he was talking about. He did everything she had wanted Lonnie to do but he never had. Hopper was filling that gap. She hadn't realised it at first but now it seemed so apparent. 

She knew she needed to thank him and with Christmas just around the corner she planned to do just that. If he was able to be more of a part of her family then she was willing to try and help be a part of his.

All the thinking had made her tired again so she adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. The movement, however, caused her to wheeze slightly leaving her coughing momentarily all over her pillowcase. Once the coughing subsided she made a mental note to pick up some syrup when she got to work and to ask Hopper if he knew a guy that could fix the hole in her wall which was still causing a slight draught. She attempted to snuggle back down into her pillow once again and this time fell into a deep sleep. 


	4. You'll Get Me Fired

"Dad. Dad. Dad, wake up. Dad. Dad."

"Jane leave me alone. I'm contemplating."

"But you don't have any coffee!? Come on, Dad!" 

With that Jane jumped directly onto Hopper's body causing him to exert a load groan. "Ok kid I'm up what do you want" Hopper exclaimed whilst pushing the old quilted duvet off himself. As he sat up he glimpsed at the clock on his bedside table. 7:02 am. Not too early and not too late. Maybe today could be a good day, if Jane's enthusiasm was anything to go on then it certainly would be. He pushed himself up from the bed and made his way to the kitchen fridge.

"Eggos?" Jane nodded furiously in response.  "There's only one left. Hang on, have you already had one? Jane, I told you only to eat these at breakfast. Do you understand?"

"Yes Dad" Jane replied whilst fiddling with her fingers, she looked sad now. Hopper saw how upset she had gotten over something minor and although there was a lesson to be learnt he understood that not everything was as simple to his daughter as it was to him.

"Hey, it's ok. I'll drop by the store after work and pick up some more for later, alright?"

"Alright" she replied looking visibly happier then she had been moments ago. 

The toaster popped and Hopper took out the last Eggo and his own two slices of lightly browned bread. Both Jane and him sat in silence happily munching away on their breakfasts. Jane finished first so she cleared her plate away and then went to her room to collect her work. She quickly returned to the table just as Hopper had finished his last bite of toast.

"What you working on today?" he asked as he washed both his and Jane's plate's and then left them to dry.

"Math" she answered without raising her eyes from the paper she was busy scribbling on, "Will said I have to try and find 'x' and how much it's worth. I didn't understand at first but he explained about moving the numbers so 'x' is alone. I understand now, I have to practise it."

"Well, Kid, don't ask me for help because I was never any good at math. That was always Joyce's forte" he exclaimed whilst making his way across the room so he could get his uniform on.

"For-, forte?" she asked.

"Ah, that can be your word for the day. It means that someone is very good at that particular thing. Joyce was always very good at math, it was her forte"

"Can we see Mrs Byers? And Will? And Jonathan?"

"Why?" Hopper asked, intrigued about how intrigued she was being.

"Well, Will told me all about this thing called Christmas. He said it happens every year at the end and it's really happy. I told him that you never did Christmas which seemed silly because it would make you happy and you need to be more happy"

"Jeez kid, thanks for that observation" 

"- Will also said that families come together to be happy. And eat. And everyone gets these things called presents which are a surprise. But not a bad surprise, a really good one. Will did say that they sometimes can be bad though. But mostly good! It sounds fun. Can we do Christmas?"

Hopper sighed and refused to give an answer. Christmas was too much for him but the idea of it seemed to excite Jane. Maybe he could compromise for her.

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

"Ah, Jim how nice it is to actually see you arrive on time" Flo exclaimed.

"And good morning to you too, Flo!" Hopper replied chirpier than usual, "got an apple back there for me by any chance?"

"You actually would rather have an apple then a doughnut, Jim? Are you feeling alright? Who are you and what have you done with our police chief?" Flo sniggered while tossing him the ripe green apple. "You're not even needed today, Jim. Powell finished all your paperwork yesterday afternoon and we've had no calls this morning at all. I would say relax but if you're this enthusiastic then you can run an errand for me."

"Continue" Hopper replied biting a huge chunk out of the polished apple.

"I've run out of staples and we're running low on pencils again, somebody keeps stealing them. I suspect Callahan is shoving them into that bushy moustache of his."

"Alright," he replied as he made his way back out of the station and to his Blazer. Usually, he would have put up more of an objection just to piss Flo off but he needed to go to the store anyway so it just saved him a trip.

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

Hopper pulled up to the store and hastily made his way inside. At first glance across the store, he couldn't spot Joyce. But once he started looking down the aisle's he quickly found her. The store was quiet as per usual for the time of day. Joyce was stacking shelves and it was quite clear that she was struggling to get the heavier stuff onto the very top shelf which loomed over her petite frame. 

"Need any help there?"

"I would greatly appreciate it, yes" she replied still trying to push the box onto the shelf with no avail. Hopper rushed over and easily took the box out of her hands and placed it onto the shelf.

"What are you doing here, Hop? You should be at work" she asked.

"They should really get you a step for this, you've been working here long enough" he exclaimed completely ignoring Joyce's question because he was to lost in thought. 

"Maybe I just need you around to help me instead. Then at least I would get to relax and you would actually get to experience work!" Joyce remarked.

"Don't get sassy with me Byers! Looking after one female child is enough thank you very much." Both of them found themselves laughing at the statement, loudly enough that Donald walked by the aisle and stared the both of them down. This caused both of them to fall silent as he walked past and only break out into silent laughter once again when he was out of sight. 

"You're gonna end up getting me fired, Hop!" Joyce exclaimed still giggling. The chief just continued to stare at her, it was an occasion to see her in such a happy mood. It reminded him of what she used to be like before everything had happened. When they were still teenagers and they thought they had their best lives ahead of them. "Did you actually come here to get something? Or are you just gonna stand there and gawk at me all day?"

"That is a very tempting offer but I did come here to pick up a few things. Flo needs staples and pencils and Jane needs her Eggos like always" he answered. The pair started to move around the store so he could actually pick up the items.

"I have a question, Joyce"

"Alright, what is it?"

"What are you and the boys doing for Christmas because Will has been talking to Jane and implanting the idea in her head and I wouldn't object to something that would make her happy but I don't know if I would be able to handle it all, not yet?" the sentence came out fast as if he was asking something more preposterous. 

"It's funny you ask. Will was going on this morning about it and how he wants to see Jane but I already told him that this year we're going to Karen's. I'm the same, I don't know if I can handle all the excitement and the cost. I knew Karen was having a party anyway so I just asked if we could stay over all day. I'm sure that you would be welcome to come, I'm seeing her tomorrow so I can ask her then."

"If it's not too much hassle for you or Karen then I don't object. If it makes Jane happy I'm willing to give it a go."

They had both made their way around the store and Hopper had all the items he needed. Joyce made her way to her till and started ringing up the items.

"How are you holding up?" Hopper asked.

"I'm fine, Hopper"

"Joyce?"

"I said I'm fine, Hop. Now leave me alone before Donald catches you distracting me again because you will get me fired!"

"Well if I got you fired then I would have more time to see you!" he exclaimed, only half joking. 

"Don't be such a tease!" she retaliated not caring about what Donald thought anymore. "Are you sure you're 'fine' with Jane?" she echoed, giving him a taste of his own medicine.

"Yes! I'm fine! Get back to work Byers before you get fired!" he shouted as he exited the store with a huge grin plastered on his face.


	5. A Girls Day Out

"Jonathan, where are you going?" Joyce asked as her eldest walked by the dining table towards the front door.

"I'm just going out to take some photos, Mum. And yes, I'll be back by lunch" he replied anticipating her next question.

"Alright, have fun but not too much fun. Make sure you are back on time."

Jonathan nodded in response then made his way out of the house with his camera. Joyce finished her last bite of toast and cleared everything up including Will's bowl once he had finished shovelling his cereal away. 

Joyce had already been up for two hours so she had showered, managed to get dressed into something nicer than usual, dried her hair and made breakfast in the time frame. Now she just had to wait for Karen to show up. Karen had insisted on picking her up instead of meeting her in town to 'save fuel' but it was quite clear that she had only offered to cut out the opportunity of Joyce running off home at some random point in the day. Joyce was not in any way, shape or form interested in shopping. She never had the money for it and being stuck behind a register for the majority of her life had left her feeling disgusted at the mere sight of one. The only reason why she had agreed to come was that Holly wanted to get her hair cut. 

At first, Karen had protested it, she didn't mind her wanting to cut her hair it was just the shock of Holly expressing how short she wanted to cut it. After much deliberation, Karen had decided to go ahead with it. Holly's hair was getting way too long and constantly tangled. Her brown roots were also starting to grow in just like Nancy's had at her age. 

"Are you actually going out today, Mum?" Will asked.

"Yes I am sweetie, Karen's just late as per usual, that's all," she replied as she picked up the envelope she had left on the table and stashed it away in her old leather bag.

"What's in the envelope?" he questioned.

"Just some pictures. Do you remember when I had short hair?"

"Not really, Mum. Only slightly, it wasn't really short though. I remember it being the same length as Jane's but not any shorter"

"Actually, I meant to ask you have you been putting ideas into that girl's head because I ran into Hopper in the store yesterday and he said you had been talking to her about Christmas or something?"

"Well, she asked about it when I was teaching her math so I explained what Christmas was, I didn't realise it would cause a problem" Will replied looking slightly more worried.

"Don't worry about it, honey. You've just got to understand that it's a hard time of year for Hopper, that's all" she replied placing her hands on his shoulder and pulling him into a hug.

The sound of a car pulling up to the house could be heard then a beep of a horn.

"That will be Karen. Bye, sweetie, I'll be back after lunch, Ok? Love you, bye!" She kissed him on his forehead then ran out the door picking up her bag on the way. She quickly made her way to the car and got into the passenger's seat.

"You got the photo's Joyce?" Karen asked.

"Yep," Joyce replied pulling the envelope out of her bag to show that she did actually have it.

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

The three girls had managed to make there way around half of the mall. Karen was already heaped in bags. So many that Joyce was having to carry half of them herself. Joyce was yet to buy anything, the few things she had found that she would actually wear had turned out to be way out of her price range so she just followed Karen around the various stores as she picked up almost every single item.

"Are you actually going to buy anything, Joyce?" Karen asked.

"Lunch?" she replied with half a smirk.

"No, other than lunch, Joyce. What are you wearing tomorrow?"

"Well, I was just going to wear this-"

"-There is no way I'm letting you wear that tomorrow. It's Christmas Joyce you deserve to dress up" Karen interjected.

Joyce was getting slightly annoyed at the persistence in Karen's voice.

"Why don't we head in here," suggested Karen, pointing at the dress shop a few feet ahead of them, "I'll buy you a dress for tomorrow, that you can keep."

"I don't need your charity, Karen" she grumbled in return.

"It's a gift then! Consider it an early Christmas present, from me to you!"

Joyce simply sighed then nodded her head giving into Karen's antics. Karen practically ran into the store picking up every dress she could find in Joyce's size. Once she had finished Karen presented Joyce with the dresses. The two women slowly went through them, Joyce weeding out the ones that she would never consider wearing in a million years. In the end, they were left with three dresses; a bright velvet red dress that Joyce had said no to because it looked very revealing but Karen had insisted to at least try it on, a grey fabric dress with puffy elasticated sleeves and a black lace dress with a red velvet sash across the waist.

Joyce took the three dresses and made her way to a changing room. She put the red dress on first. To her surprise, it didn't look as bad as she thought it would. However, it definitely was as revealing as she thought it was. Joyce stepped out of the changing room to show Karen. 

"This is so revealing Karen, there is no way I'm ever wearing this" Joyce announced sternly. 

"But you look so good, you used to wear dresses like this all the time" Karen returned.

"Well that was the '60s, Karen, I've had two boys since then, I no longer have the figure to pull dresses like this off"

"Nonsense, you still have a great figure, go try the next dress on." Joyce obliged and pulled the grey dress on. She looked in the mirror and took it straight off again, it was way too big on her. She placed it back on the hanger and observed the black dress. She actually quite liked it, it didn't look too revealing and it was a much more appropriate colour for her. She stepped into it and zipped it up. She looked in the mirror and smiled, she looked pretty. She didn't look like she was trying and it didn't look too casual it just made her look nice. 

Karen squealed with glee.

"That's the one, Joyce! You look so pretty!"

Joyce just smiled in response as Karen gawked at her. She slipped out of the dress and handed the three to Karen so she could go and pay. Once Joyce was dressed again they decided it was a good time to get lunch.

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

All three of them finished there lunch quickly as Holly's appointment was sooner then they had realised.

"Are you sure about this Holly? Once you get your hair cut this short you do realise that it's going to take a long time to grow back? Can we look at the pictures Joyce?"

"Sure" Joyce replied as she pulled out the envelope once again, "I don't know what other pictures are in there I just briefly checked a few of them, there's some from when I had it last cut and then some from back in high school if she really wants to go that short."

Karen started scanning through the photos looking particularly at the pictures of Joyce and Will when he had just been born. Holly was also looking through the photos and she picked out a few that took her interest. Joyce was just watching all the other people wandering around the mall with all their shopping bags, she envied them, it was only once in a blue moon that she got to go out like this and everybody else there seemed to be regular visitors. 

"Look Mummy! She's really pretty!" Holly announced pushing a picture right up to Karen's face. Karen took the picture from her daughter and looked at the picture it was Joyce sat on the hood of a car, she was laughing. Her hair was still long in the photo, it landed just above her shoulders. "And look, police!" Holly said as she pointed at the other person present in the photo. Karen was confused at first but quickly realised what she meant. The other person in the photo was a young Jim Hopper. He too seemed to be laughing as well and staring at Joyce.

"Joyce? Earth to Joyce?"

"Hm, yes, what, Karen?" she replied finally giving the mother and child her attention.

"Look at you in this photo!" Karen shoved the photo into Joyce's face just like Holly had done to her. Joyce analysed the photo, taking in all the features and relishing in the memory.

"I forgot this photo even existed" she mumbled incoherently. 

Holly had managed to make her way around the table and sat next to Joyce. She was quiet at first but then spoke up again.

"The man is looking at you like Daddy looks at Mummy when she doesn't see" she declared.

"What are you on about Holly- ...oh." Joyce understood what she meant. She looked down at the picture again. It was true, Hopper was looking at her in a way that suggested something more. It made sense, the picture was taken before they had gotten together. But it was more than a look of teenager lust. 

"Come on Joyce we need to go so Holly can get this done." Karen pushed herself up from the table and gathered the pictures back up and placed them back in the envelope, keeping out one that Holly had picked out. Joyce picked up her bag and placed the photo inside making a mental note to look at it again later.

Once again she picked up the majority of Karen's bags and hurried after the other pair who were already walking ahead of her.


	6. Mistletoe And Wine

Joyce pulled up to the Wheelers house, late as usual. By the time she had managed to park the outmoded car, both of her boys had unbuckled their seatbelts. They then hastily walked to the house leaving their drained mother alone. She prepared herself by taking a deep breath and then she exited the car. Both of her arms came across her petite frame in a strive to protect herself from the bitter wind. The ends of her black peacoat ruffled vigorously showing glimpses of her new dress. As she walked a distinctive sound of new shoes clacking against the paved path could be heard, even against the swishing of her highly tied hair which was held together with a red velvet ribbon. When she reached her hand up to knock on the perfectly painted white door she noticed that it was already slightly ajar. So she pushed against it and stepped into the warmth. A collection of coats had already started to gather by the door so she shrugged hers off and placed it on top. Although the house was comforting and cordial she realised how exposed she was and once again her arms lifted to cover her body.

She looked around the room to see if there was anyone she would consider having a conversation with, but alas, the only people present were those who chose to call her crazy behind her back. Gossip travelled quickly in the small town of Hawkins and the thing everyone always loved to talk about was crazy Joyce Byers and her resurrected son. It did leave her slightly bitter but she was used to it by now. 

"Joyce you're here!" exclaimed Karen as she waltzed over to the other woman, a glass of wine in her hand. Joyce just affectionately smiled in response. "Look at you, you look so pretty. And your hair, it's so smooth and shiny...oh, and soft, how is it so soft? Come and grab a drink!" With that Karen grabbed Joyce's arm and dragged her to the table all the drinks were on. "What would you like, Joyce?"

"Oh, no, I don't want anything, Karen" Joyce answered. Nevertheless, the other woman still poured her a glass of red wine and handed it to her. Joyce accepted the glass, planning to place it back on the table once Karen had left, which she quickly did. However, as she was about to set the glass down she heard a familiar name.

"Jim, you came! Hi, Jane, everyone's down in the basement. Joyce is over at the drinks table if you were planning on looking for her" Karen vocalised, slurring her words very slightly. 

Joyce smiled when the man stepped into her line of view, Jane at his side. Jane was wearing the floral dress Joyce had made her a few weeks ago and Hopper was in his usual smart shirt and jeans. Both of the newly arrived guests approached Joyce with reciprocated smiles plastered on their faces. 

"Merry Christmas Mrs Byers" Jane exclaimed as she wrapped her arms tightly around Joyce, "you look very pretty."

"Merry Christmas Jane, you look beautiful."

"Is Will here? I have something very important to tell him."

"Yes, honey, I'm pretty sure he's downstairs with everyone else."

With that Jane bid both of the adults a goodbye and ran towards the basement in order to be with her friends. Jim and Joyce both watched her scurry away with pride in their hearts for the mature young woman she was becoming. Joyce let out a sigh of happiness.

"They grow up too fast," she said.

"Nah, you're just getting shorter, Joyce, that's all" Jim teased back at her. Joyce just scoffed in response and took a long sip of her wine to ease the low blow.

"I'll have you know that I'm wearing heels. I'm putting myself through hell just to be on the same level as everyone else here" she replied, slightly bitter.

"And I applaud you for it, Joyce, you look very... pretty-"

"-You hesitated, Jim! You swine" she exclaimed playfully hitting his arm and taking yet another long sip from her draining glass.

"Well I guess we're even now" he replied. Joyce gave him a confused expression urging him to explain himself. "It's not every day Karen Wheeler rings you up and decides to unload her entire personal life on you."

"That is slightly my fault, however, Karen was being very adamant about needing to talk to you. So I just thought it would be best to let her fill you in on everything happening today." Joyce replied honestly. 

Holly ran frantically into the room still feeling joyful for her new love of her short hair. She clambered up onto one of the chairs and then bashed her hands onto the small table beside it, capturing everyone's attention in the room. She took a deep breath then announced as loudly as she could "lunch is ready!" She then jumped off the chair and ran straight out of the room once again. 

"Do my eyes deceive me or does Karen Wheeler's daughter look like a mini version of you" Hop suggested slightly puzzled. 

"It's just a haircut Hop" she responded.

"But that was your haircut, Joyce, you owned that, nobody else pulled it off like you did." Joyce glared at him once again, why was he being so charming today? Charming? She meant nice... why was he being so... nice.

People had started migrating so the both of them followed the crowd but not before they were able to pour themselves another glass of their respective drinks. 

The dining table had been extended to absolute limitation, with a few extra tables at the sides of the room which had all the food on them. Karen had really planned everything out, even writing little name cards at each seat to make the seating arrangements less awkward. Everyone present was starting to take their seats, meanwhile, Jim and Joyce were both hectically trying to find their names. 

Joyce was the first one to spot her name, it was located next to Karens at the head of the table. Joyce wouldn't have usually minded sitting next to Karen, but when she was the host and everyone's attention would be directed her way, it did make Joyce feel a little uneasy. She let out a defeatist groan as she took her seat, why had Karen done this to her. 

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm sat next to you" Hopper pointed out, taking his seat which was almost next to hers seeing as they were placed at either side of the corner of the table. Hopper continued, "Will and Jonathan will be sat just across from me and Jane's sat next to Will, so we'll be able to keep an eye on them."

It did calm Joyce's nerves slightly but she was still feeling on edge, even more so now she was ever so slightly intoxicated. All of the kids joined the table at once and started helping themselves to the food. The table filled quickly and the conversation was bustling. Karen was still bringing plates over to the table, her glass of wine still in hand, it getting slightly emptier every time she returned from the kitchen. Joyce and Jim stayed quiet, enjoying their food only interacting with each other in small conversation. 

  »»----------------------¤----------------------««  

When everyone started to finish Karen took over everyone's conversation, telling everyone about a funny mishap Ted and she had gone through when they were younger. Everyone was engaged in the tale as it was seemingly funny. Joyce even caught herself laughing at times which provoked Jim to also laugh. 

"Whilst I have everyone's attention I want to tell another story from back in the day" Karen yelled, clearly not aware of the quietness of the room.

"Here we go again" Hopper mumbled under his breath but loud enough for Joyce to hear and chuckle at. 

"Back before Ted and I had met, when we were all in high school, for a brief period of time our own police chief went out with my friend Miss Joyce Byers-" both Joyce and Jim went wide-eyed at this statement, where was she going with this story? It wasn't private knowledge that they had gone out but she hadn't exactly told Jonathan or Will, "- it was very brief. I think it lasted about a week but they kept it very hush hush which is why," Karen paused to hiccup, "I'm bringing it up now - now that I have photographic evidence." Karen hiccuped again and produced the photo of Joyce and Jim sat on the hood of his car.

Joyce was overwhelmed at all the attention. How had Karen gotten the photo? Jim was also in a state of somewhat shock, his eyes downcast to his empty plate. Joyce scanned her eyes around the entire table, everyone was staring at her. She froze when her eyes landed on Will. He looked cheated and clearly upset, not only because he had been lied to but because he also knew that his mother couldn't handle all of this undivided attention. He was more concerned for her wellbeing than being lied to and that broke her.

"Excuse me" Joyce announced as she rose from her seat and quickly walked to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. The conversation in the room slowly grew again from whispers to full-fledged talking. Ted had now stepped in to try and talk to Karen about not having another glass of wine. 

Jim eventually looked up from his plate, still contemplating what had just happened. He was met with Will's worried eyes, the boy looked like he was on the verge of crying. Hopper had to do something, so he to excused himself from the table and went to find Joyce.

As he passed the bathroom he saw it was locked so he gently knocked on the door.

"Joyce?" he questioned.

"Go away, Jim. I want to be left alone" she retaliated through slight cries. 

"Come on Joyce, you can't stay locked up in the bathroom for the rest of the night. How about we go outside and have a cigarette, I have camels on me" he pleaded. The lock turned and Joyce hesitantly opened the door. He was right, she couldn't stay in the bathroom all night and she should probably get some fresh air to calm her nerves. And the company wouldn't be bad either. 

They both made their way out of the front of the house and sat down on the step in front of the window. Hopper took out a cigarette from the pack and lit it. He inhaled deeply allowing the smoke to fill his lungs and then passed it to Joyce who graciously accepted it. 

They stayed in silence until just the butt was left. Joyce discarded it and exhaled the last of the smoke. The air was cold and caused Joyce's skin to prickle but she didn't care for it, she was calm now. She finally felt comfortable, but there was no denying that the temperature seemed to be drastically dropping. 

"We should head back inside" she suggested looking over at Jim for his answer. He nodded and both of them stood up. Joyce made her way back to the door, waiting for Jim to catch up to her.

"Joyce" he whispered as he took her hand and turned her around to face him.

"Hm?" she replied, unsure of what his intentions were.

"Look up" he whispered, taking her other hand in his and closing the space between them.

She obliged and looked up.

"Mistletoe" she whispered as she turned her face back to his. Their lips were practically brushing. Joyce could smell the tobacco on Jim's warm breath. Her eyes flickered off his lips to his bright blue eyes which were overflowing with love and kindness and then back down again.

Then she closed the space until their lips met in perfect harmony. 


	7. I Saw Something

It was the big day. A white rose had been pinned to the lapel of his velvet black tux. As he looked up he noticed the light shining through the large stained glass window that depicted a biblical scene. He was shaking but he was unsure why.

An organ struck up and as if it were instinct he turned away from the window to look down the empty aisle. The doors which seemed to be standing several yards away slowly opened letting even more light stream into the mundane building. 

A white figure emerged from the light. The dress cascaded down to the floor into a short train made of laced flowers. The same laced flowers obscured the entirety of the figures face. The only part of her body which wasn't covered in white was her hands, however, the complexion of them almost matched the purity of the dress. Within her hands was a bouquet of purple flowers which mostly consisted of lavender and iris'. She glided towards him almost as if she was a divine being effortlessly floating. 

Once she had reached him the organ stopped and silence fell upon the already empty church. She placed the flowers down and turned towards him.

He went to lift up the vail but his arms were firmly glued to his sides. He panicked and tried to move his legs for reassurance but they were stuck as well. His eyes looked over the once empty room to find thousands staring back at him. Some faces were old; his childhood neighbour, his high school tutor, his squadron leader from Vietnam and some were new; Jonathan, Will and Jane. This couldn't be right. They all seemed so emotionless yet they seemed to be looking directly into his soul, it felt like he was being tormented. Especially at the site of Jane, his own daughter just sat there expressionless. Will was sat next to her, his usual glow of admiration for the chief completely abundant. 

"Jim" a soft voice close to him whispered. He turned his face away from the crowd back towards the white figure that still stood in front of him. A slight sensation could be felt in his hands so he slowly twitched his fingers and wrists until he could fluidly move the entirety of his arms. Now free to move he finally had the chance to remove the vail which was obscuring Diane.

He'd experienced this many times before but it was never until he got his senses back that he could kick his conscience into motion and take charge of the actual situation. 

He slowly retracted the vail from her face hoping that wasting time would wake him up quicker. But instead of seeing curled blonde tendrils he was met with dark brown ones. A confused expression filled his face as he continued to lift back the vail until he was met with two brown doe eyes staring up at him.

"Joyce?" he exclaimed completely puzzled.  

"Look up Jim," her voice had started to echo as he became disorientated with overwhelment. He looked up to find a string of white berried flowers growing down from the very top of the ceiling.

"Mistletoe" he stated dumbfounded.

As he turned back to her he felt two arms snake around the back of his neck and then a sudden force on his chest as she crashed her lips onto his, sending him toppling backwards until he hit the compact stone.

  »»----------------------¤----------------------««  

He woke with a start, his hands came to his face to wipe around the beads of sweat that threatened to fall into his eyes. His heart was pounding. This was one of the usual nightmares, they tended to circulate every so often. 

"Dad, are you ok?" Jane asked sheepishly from the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm fine Jane, what time is it?" he replied.

"4 am"

"Jesus Jane, why are you still up?" he questioned softly not wanting to alarm her too much but he was still feeling groggy from his harsh awakening. Jane didn't reply but instead walked over to the bed and joined him under the covers so she could cuddle up to his side, she had been crying. "What's wrong?"

"Will said something to me earlier at the party and I don't know how to feel about it. I keep trying to understand what it is but it's too confusing. It makes me happy but also angry and sad and confused but still happy? I don't like it." He had started brushing her hair now, knowing it was the best way to calm her down. Joyce had told him the best way to keep her calm was to talk through everything, put everything out in the open, the girl had already been suppressed enough. He knew she was right, if his parents ever bothered to ask him how he was feeling and offered emotional support rather than telling him to man up, he wouldn't have such an inflexible exterior. It would have saved him a lot of grief, he would have never felt like he had to prove himself to be some hero, he would have been content with what he had. If he had the opportunity he probably would have settled down in Hawkins with a girl he loved.

"What did he say to you? Was it something bad?"

"No," she replied "it just...got me thinking, that's all. It is tricky to understand."

"Well, how about you tell me what the problem is and I'll see if I can help, and if I can we can sort it tomorrow and in the meantime, we can get some sleep, you can stay in here if it will make you more comfortable. Deal?"

"Deal."

She hesitated for a while, he could see her thinking about how to approach it. He wanted to go back to sleep as his eyelids were starting to grow heavy again but he knew he had to be patient with her.

"Will said - well no, wait - hang on...Will said that if um, things - yea, things happened then we would become like brother and sister. But then I would have two Mama's and I can't choose people" she proposed. She seemed less worried now she had gotten that off her chest, however, that worry had transferred to Hopper. He stayed quiet thinking through what she had just declared. Did they know something? If so then how?

He finally spoke,"it's not like that at all Jane. Joyce and-"

"-Friends don't lie" she interjected.

"I'm not lying-"

"-Yes you are. I know you are. I've seen" she retaliated.

"And how exactly have you seen? Have you been sneaking about or something?" he had tried to be patient but now he was just angry, she had stepped over the line and she needed to understand that what she was doing was wrong.

"I don't get to choose what I see, it just happens! I can't control it." She was agitated now, not angry but on the verge of being so. Hopper quickly realised he was the one who acted out of order and he didn't want her getting any more upset so he pulled her back into him so she was wrapped in his comforting embrace.

"We'll talk about it in detail tomorrow, okay kid?" he sighed.

"Okay," she returned suddenly calmer as she snuggled into his larger arm and allowed herself to start drifting off to sleep. "Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Why don't you marry Mrs Byers?" she half yawned.

Hopper grunted in response, he didn't want to answer, not now. Not when he didn't know where they stood at all. "Tomorrow kid, we'll sort it all out tomorrow. Just go to sleep."

Shortly after that some quiet snores and some louder ones could be heard from the Hopper residence. 


	8. We Need To Talk

Hopper was busy making breakfast when Jane finally decided to show her face. Her hair was starting to lose its curls which meant that it always looked very nest like in the morning. She trudged her way over to the table and took a seat.  

"Do you want to talk about what you said last night?" Hopper asked gently as he scraped some eggs onto a plate.

"Yes," Jane simply replied.

"Do you want to talk about what Will said or the thing you saw?" he continued to inquire.

"Both," she replied, "they were the same."

"You mean 'similar'?" he corrected.

"Yes, similar. You remember what I told you about having to choose?" Hopper nodded, "well I saw something. Something that wasn't old or now but tomorrow or next week"

"Like the future?" Hopper interjected, "You're telling me kid that you saw the future?"

"Yes," she replied sheepishly, downcasting her eyes to her hands which were fidgeting in her lap.

He made his way to where she was sitting and crouched down beside her, "I'm not mad at you, Jane, this isn't your fault but I can't help you if I don't know what's going on, so you've got to talk to me."

"Well, I saw Mrs Byers - Joyce...she was in the hospital-"

"Was she okay, was she hurt or anything?" Hopper interrupted. 

"No, she looked fine. She was just - well she was just - big. But not all of her, just her tummy. It looked...very strange..."

Hopper had gone quiet. Jane wasn't the most articulate of people but he could still clearly understand what she was insinuating. 

"I, uh - I need to go somewhere. I'll be back later, alright? We can talk about everything else then." he stated as he ran to the bathroom to get changed.

  »»----------------------¤----------------------««  

"Hi, Donald!" Hopper chirped too enthusiastically, "is Joyce here yet by any chance?"

Donald just stared at him blankly for a few seconds then returned to his sweeping without giving him an answer. Hopper was suddenly jolted when he felt a small pair of hands snake around his stomach and hold him tightly in a bone-crushing squeeze. After he had been released he turned around to find Joyce smiling up at him, when he smiled back at her she scrunched up her nose with happiness. He mirrored her previous actions by placing his hands around her waist whilst she placed her palms on his chest.

"What are you doing here, Hop, the stores not open for another half hour or so?" she questioned whilst picking at loose threads on his shirt.

"Well, I'm here to see you. I need to talk to you about something, urgently" he responded.

Her brows furrowed and her petite frame seized slightly as her skin started to visibly crawl with worry. He decided it would be best if he changed the subject. 

"Do you have any lunch?" Hopper asked. She shook her head. "I'll grab something for you, we can talk about it then, don't get worked up thinking about it, it really isn't that bad, ok?"

"Ok" she replied as she smiled weakly at him, he hadn't managed to ease her manic thoughts one bit but she took a second to stop and think about what he had just proposed. "Are you asking me out on a date, Jim Hopper?" she enquired in a smuggish manner.

"I must just be" he retaliated with a full smile.

He lowered his head and kissed her lightly on the cheek and then started to make his way out of the store, their hands staying interlinked until just their fingertips were brushing, then he was gone.

  »»----------------------¤----------------------««  

Hopper pulled up to Melvalds in his blazer at exactly noon. It was getting colder every day, you would think that with the new year just around the corner it would start to warm up a bit, but no. He put out his cigarette then grabbed the two paper bags on the passenger's seat. He made his way into the store, holding the door open for the customer Joyce had just served.

"Is it still cold outside?" Joyce asked as she made her way out from behind the till.

"Yeah, it's fucking freezing out there. I would say come sit in the blazer but the damn heatings gone again" Hopper replied.

"Well let's go to the break room then, I'll kick Donald out, he's supposed to be on the till anyway" she stated.

Both of them made their way to the back of the store and once she had drilled into Donald that somebody needed to be out front, they were left alone to eat their sandwiches. Joyce opened the paper bag to find homemade sandwiches, which she was not expecting at all. The bread held some bacon, lettuce and slices of tomato and from the looks of it, Hopper had the same.

"So what's this urgent news I'm not supposed to be worrying about?"

"Well, plainly, Jane said she saw something. And by this something, it sounded like she was referring to the future. Now I don't know if this is true, she's been talking to Will-"

"-Will has something to do with this?" 

He nodded his head as he had just taken a bite of his lunch.

"Apparently he's somehow got this idea into Jane's head about parents. And now she thinks she has to choose between Terry and, well, you." The moment he finished talking he took another huge bite of the sandwich in the vain hope he wouldn't be able to reply to Joyce and time soon.

"Well that's just absurd, why would she even..." She didn't finish her sentence, instead, her hand went to her throat and she started coughing, badly.

"Hey, are you ok? Are you choking?" she shook her head "what is it then? Do you need water?" he almost shouted as he utterly panicked. Joyce opened up her water and started chugging it down. After the coughing subsided she swilled a small amount of the liquid around her mouth and when she swallowed, it blatantly tasted metallic.

"Are you sure you're ok, Joyce?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's nothing, I'm just not feeling one-hundred percent well, that's all. Nothing to be concerned about," she answered.

"Have you gone to see a doctor to get some medication or something?" There was no point in him asking, he already knew the answer.

"There's no need, I'm fine. And anyway I haven't got the time-"

"-or the money" he interjected. "Look, Joyce, if you've been like this for a while then you really need to get it checked out. If I give you some money to go, will you? If not for me then go for the boys, they need you."

"I'm not a charity case. But fine, I'll go, only for the boys, and I'll pay you back as soon as possible." 

He chuckled at her statement, "you really don't need to pay me back, but if it's the only way to get you to go then fine."

They stayed silent for a while as they finished their sandwiches, and once they had an awkward silence fell between them. Neither of them wanted to bring up what had happened on Christmas day, especially Hopper after his godforsaken dream. Nevertheless, he did anyway.

"Are we gonna talk about what happened, at Karen's party?" he asked quietly. 

"Not right now, Hop, I just... I need a little more time, ok? Just to think." she whispered back.

"Ok. I'll wait" he smiled back.

  »»----------------------¤----------------------««  

Joyce could hear a tapping at her window. At first, she thought it must have been the old tree that blocked her 'perfect' view of even more trees, but then she remembered that Jonathan had helped her cut it down earlier that month. Unwillingly, she pulled the thick duvet that was keeping her somewhat warm off of her body and she padded her way to the window. She opened one of the tatty curtains only to be shocked with a face right in front of her.

"Jim" she half whispered as she opened the window, "what are you doing here?"

Instead of responding the chief climbed through the window, getting stuck halfway, then he closed it behind him.

He slowly approached her and took both her hands guiding her back so she was sat on the edge of the bed. He then took off his hat and held it in his hands then cleared his throat.

"I understand what you said earlier, Joyce, but I've been waiting for so long to be with you. I don't know how longer I can go on waiting. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, I don't know if I will wake up in the morning. I don't want to waste a second more knowing that you aren't mine. If we wait and wait and wait then it might never happen, and I can't live knowing that. I can't live knowing that I never told you how much I care for you and how I hold you in my heart. I can't continue to live without you knowing that I love you."

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked completely dumbfounded.

"I love you, Joyce. I'm in love with you." His words lingered in the air, both of them processing what had just been said. Hoppers knuckles were starting to turn white from how tightly he was gripping his hat. The complete silence felt so loud to him.

"I love you too" she whispered not allowing her eyes to meet his. This time it was the chiefs turn to question what had just been said.

"I love you too" she repeated, this time a bit more adamant. 

Relief flooded through his body, his anxiety replaced with happiness. He lunged towards Joyce and easily picked her up, spinning her around with delight. When he stopped their foreheads stayed pressed together as they allowed themselves to share the tender moment. 

Hopper slowly slid Joyce down so her feet were firmly on the ground, their touch never breaking for a second. 

Hopper kissed the top of her head as she nuzzled herself deeper into the crook of his neck. His scent was intoxicating. She softly started kissing his neck trailing her lips up to his jaw where she was met with the roughness of his beard. She leant upwards so her lips could finally meet his, and when they did his neediness was evident.

He guided her backwards, their kiss never breaking until she hit the bed and fell back onto the soft duvet. Hopper didn't waste a precious moment to drive his lips back onto hers...


	9. Chapter 9

When Hopper awoke he found himself alone. He scanned the room and he noticed that some of his clothes had been ironed and hung up, and the rest of them were neatly folded on the chair. Being alone made his heart feel cold, which resultantly, sent a shiver down his spine. He quickly got dressed and attempted to make the bed to the best of his ability. He was hoping to wake up next to the woman he loved, something he had been longing for. It was slightly unsettling not having her there, did it mean that she regretted it? Had he forced her into something she didn't want or wasn't ready for? His mind was racing at the possibility of her never loving him again. 

To try and dismiss the thoughts he exited her bedroom and made his way to the kitchen. He hummed an old tune as he walked down the hall. When the familiar smell of bacon and eggs hit him, hope refilled his body. Maybe she did want him, maybe she loved him. As he made his way around the corner it was clear that the person at the stove was not Joyce, it was Jonathan. Hopper went to try and sneak back to the bedroom but then he remembered that he still did not know where Joyce was.

"Hi, kid, what you cooking there?" Hopper hesitantly asked.

"Just some bacon and eggs, Chief" Jonathan huffed without even turning around.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Mum told me before she left, said you came over to replace the broken bulb in her room. I'm glad you helped but I could have done that, we don't always need your help around here" replied Jonathan bitterly as he put the food on to some plates. "Will! Breakfast's ready!"

Moments later the tired looking teenager emerged from his room. He woke up a bit more when he realised that Hopper was sat at the table but his mother's seat was vacant.

"Jon, where's Mom? I thought she wasn't working today?" inquired the worried boy.

"She went to the doctors, I guess our nagging finally paid off, buddy."

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

Joyce sat alone in the cold waiting room. She was uncomfortable due to the fact that being at the doctor's always meant that something was wrong. Her hands idly fiddled in her lap and she worried her bottom lip. Thoughts were flying through her mind, she was still so unsure of everything. It had just happened out of the moment, it was nothing more. But she wanted it to be more, she knew it could be more. But was she willing to risk her integrity again just to be abandoned like she had been so many times before. Hopper wasn't just any man, he was her friend and companion. He wasn't like any of the others, there were so many different aspects to him. Lonnie was never pleasant to her, he just masked his true colours very well and when she had finally managed to see them she had already lost all hope. Bob was as sweet as a cherry, he cared about her, he would never hurt her, he would do anything for her, but that was his downfall. He cared too much, he loved her to the point where it was overbearing. She hated admitting that to herself. Hopper was just different. Not good, not bad, just different.

"Ms Byers?" a doctors voice questioned as he entered the room. Joyce rose in response and followed the doctor out of the waiting room.

"If you don't mind me asking, where is Doctor Bell? He's been my doctor for years." Joyce queried as they continued walking till they came to the small consultation room at the end of the hall.

"Doctor Bell isn't here at the moment so I am covering all his patients. I'm Doctor Melder by the way" he outstretched his hand as he held the door open for her, she momentarily shook it then wiped away the sweat that was starting to pool on her palms. She then sat down in the chair in front of her as the man sorted through a cabinet of files. He finally plucked one out and then sat down across from her. "What seems to be the problem, Ms Byers?"

"I've had a cough for a few weeks now, nothing serious, I'm really wasting your time" she replied.

"How long approximately is 'a few weeks'? Did you have any other symptoms before the cough developed?"

Joyce took a second to think, "about four months ago I started getting extremely fatigued almost all the time and my throat was slightly sore but it wasn't until a month ago that I started coughing, it wasn't too bad but it does seem to be getting worse."

He made a quick note in the file then made his way over to a small cooler. He reached in and pulled out a needle.

"I'm going to take some blood if that is alright with you, we'll then do a blood test and you will get the results back in about three weeks, in the meantime, I can prescribe you some syrup that should calm the coughing and stop the soreness in the throat."

"Alright" she replied hesitantly whilst shrugging off her jacket and rolling up her sleeve. She wasn't the biggest fan of needles after everything that had happened but she couldn't really deny the man, it would be a waste of money if she did.

The blood was taken quickly, she was then given the prescription and sent on her way.

She started to make her way out of the building when a door opened in front of her.

"Ah, Joyce, there you are. I was beginning to think you hadn't turned up."

"Doctor Bell? I was told you weren't here, Doctor Medler just treated me instead" she answered completely puzzled.

His face was struck with confusion, "well, that's odd. We don't have a Doctor Medler here."

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

Like he did every morning, Jonathan made his way out to the mailbox. It had become a habit over time, even though they never regularly got any post. Nevertheless, he would go and check in the hope of seeing a letter from NYU. Most of the time the letters they did receive were reminders about overdue bills and occasionally they got the odd letter from one of their relatives.

When Jonathan reached the mailbox he was surprised to find a letter addressed to him. He snatched it out and looked at the mailing address, it was from NYU. He left the rest of the letters and frantically ran back to the house. He burst through the door which captured the attention of Hopper and Will who were talking at the table.

"My - letter," Jonathan spoke in-between gasping breaths "from - NYU." He gave up trying to speak and instead raised the letter then walked over and placed it on the table.

"Aren't you gonna open it, kid?" Hopper asked whilst sipping on a cup of what was presumably coffee.

"He's going to wait until mum gets home, you know she won't mind if you open it. She'll probably be annoyed that you haven't" Will replied.

Jonathan contemplated it for a second then picked the envelope back up and carefully opened it. He took out the letter and read its contents. A smile crept onto his face.

"Well?" asked Will.

"I got in, I'm gonna be going to NYU" he chuckled as he couldn't stop smiling. Will ran from the table into his arms and embraced his older brother in happiness.

"I've got to go tell Mike, hang on" Will announced as he ran to his room. Jonathan chuckled once more when Will almost tripped whilst he was running.

Once Will had gone Jonathan extended his hand to Hopper.

"Thank you, Hop. If it wasn't for your help I wouldn't have got it, I'm sorry about being a dick sometimes"

Hopper took the boys hand and shook it firmly bringing his other hand on top to lightly pat their two hands.

"That's alright, kid."

»»----------------------¤----------------------««

A few days later Joyce was out grocery shopping when she started to feel a little queasy. The syrup that she had been given was working, it stopped the coughing but it made her feel like she was going to constantly throw up. She reached into her bag and pulled out a flask of water and took a few small sips.

"I hope that's water, Horowitz" a voice from behind her questioned. When she turned she found herself to be facing Hopper. She placed her basket down and crossed her arms over her chest almost defensively.

"And what would you do if it wasn't?" Her tone was playful but had the slightest hint of irritation. She continued to rummage through a crate of carrots, picking out the better ones and placing them in a paper bag.

Hopper had quite obviously not detected her standoffishness and returned what he believed to be flirting. "I might just have to take you down to the station."

"Please don't, I have a party to plan and it's already stressful enough," she replied, her annoyance perfectly clear now.

Hopper noticed her change in tone and softened somewhat, "do you need any help, what's it for?"

"We're gonna have a new years party and a small celebration for Jonathan. It's not going to be much but it will be enough to get Will off my back without getting Jon on it."

"Well the kid deserves a party with how much he worked on that application"

"Yeah, he really does," she happily sighed "thank you for helping him out with it all."

"It really is no problem, Joyce, you'll just have to find some way to repay me."

Joyce picked her basket up and contemplated something for several seconds. "How about you come to the party, come and watch the ball drop with us? You can bring Jane too of course."

"She would like that, sure. Why not, I have nothing better to do."


End file.
